In a statement, Barra praised his team and revealed that his new role will involve working with the Android ecosystem.

"After nearly five and a half years at Google and almost three years as a member of the Android team - the most amazing group of people I've ever worked with in my life - I have decided to start a new career chapter," he explained.

"In a few weeks, I'll be joining the Xiaomi team in China to help them expand their incredible product portfolio and business globally - as Vice President, Xiaomi Global.

"I'm really looking forward to this new challenge, and am particularly excited about the opportunity to continue to help drive the Android ecosystem."

Google has also reacted to the news, saying: "We wish Hugo Barra the best. We'll miss him at Google and we're excited that he is staying within the Android ecosystem."